Life's a Beach and Then... (The Liberty Sands Trilogy Book 1) by Julia Roberts Page A

Martin,’ he replied.
    ‘You’re joking,’ Rosemary exclaimed. ‘We did our first
dancing job together in Paris and kept in touch for years. What an amazing
coincidence that you know her too.’
    It turned out that they had both been at Melody’s engagement
party but hadn’t been introduced to each other.
    ‘Were you at the wedding?’ Robert asked, surprised that he
had missed noticing this stunning woman not once but twice.
    ‘No, I was away working,’ she replied. ‘I had just signed my
first six-month contract for the cruise line I’m still working for so I
couldn’t get the time off. The wedding couldn’t be delayed because Mel was
already pregnant with Sam. She was really upset because she wanted me to be her
Maid of Honour.’
    ‘I was Pete’s Best Man,’ Robert revealed. ‘So we would
definitely have met that day.’
    They had looked deep into each other’s eyes. Maybe they were
meant to meet at the wedding and now fate was giving them a second chance?
    Six months later they were married, with Pete as Best Man,
Melody as Matron of Honour and their four children as pages and bridesmaids.
     
     
    Robert looked at his beautiful, brave wife delicately picking
her way through a plate of steamed vegetables and wished, as he had so many
times since their meeting in Mauritius, that she had been able to go to the
wedding. All those wasted years and now so little time left.
    Not for the first time Robert had to swallow hard to hold
back tears as he wondered what on earth he was going to do when the love of his
life had gone.

 
    Chapter 21
     
     
    There was a message waiting for Holly at the hotel reception
when she went to collect the picnic lunch she had ordered for her day out. She
opened the envelope with dread, thinking that Philippe had decided to cancel,
and feeling ridiculously disappointed.
    The message wasn’t from Philippe, it was from Rosemary.
     
    Dear Holly (and Philippe)
     
    Have a wonderful day out together. We would love you to join
us for dinner in Roberto’s this evening at 8 p.m... or for Philippe’s benefit
7.45 p.m.
     
    Love
    Rosemary x
     
    Holly didn’t understand the last comment. Why would they
want Philippe to get to the restaurant before her? Were they going to discuss
the events of the day with him? she wondered. How very odd.
    The receptionist indicated a row of cool boxes, each with a
guest’s name taped to it, and said the driver would lift it into the car for
her when he arrived. Holly glanced at her watch. As usual she was a few minutes
early so she relaxed onto a rattan sofa opposite the reception desk, waiting
for the two men to arrive. She knew which one she was most looking forward to
see.
    The sofa was comfy and well worn and her imagination ran
riot as she imagined all the various posteriors that had rested there over the
years. The Plantation House was a very luxurious resort and it was rumoured
that celebrities and even minor royals had stayed there since the rebuild. It
had featured in the pages of glossy magazines as the backdrop for swimwear
shoots and in the occasional music video, and Holly had read that it was one of
the locations used in a recent Bond movie.
    Who knows, she thought, maybe Daniel Craig had sat in this
very spot.
    ‘What’s so funny?’
    She looked up to see Philippe looking down at her with a
quizzical expression on his face.
    ‘Funny?’ she repeated, jumping to her feet blushing.
    ‘You had a big grin on your face, I thought maybe you didn’t
appreciate my dress sense?’
    ‘No, no,’ she said. ‘I didn’t even see you come in,’ she
continued in a fluster. ‘I was daydreaming. You’re early,’ she stammered.
    ‘I know,’ acknowledged Philippe. ‘You should feel very
honoured, I am usually at least five minutes late.’
    The penny dropped.
    ‘Ah, that would explain Rosemary’s note,’ she said. ‘They’ve
invited us to have dinner with them tonight at Roberto’s, but they gave two
different times and I